Curiosity
by Legendary Biologist
Summary: At midnight, Serge didn't sleep because of his curiosity about Guile.


**CURIOSITY**

**The mean writer's block comes again. Well, this is just a strange idea; I don't know what has happened to my brain. The lab session and other similar studies seem to have led me to writing this story. Disregard the 'Guile is Magus' speculation. This focuses on Guile's WandaIn spell.**

**DISCLAIMER: Chrono Cross doesn't belong to me.**

XXX

The light bulbs on the ceiling radiated dim yellow glow along the hallway. Noises of slippers hitting the wooden floor echoed as Serge walked.

Stopping in front of a wooden door, he looked to the left, then to the right. _Nobody? Well, who wants to wander around the hallway of the inn at midnight?_ He looked ahead and gripped the doorknob._ This time I'll find out how he can kill an enemy directly with his wand!_

Surprisingly, he could push the door open. _How come? He doesn't even lock the door… _He gasped. _Wait, there must be something wrong! Nobody is so careless. _He gulped and closed his eyes. Beads of sweat trickled down his neck as he pushed the door open. _I hope nothing has happened to him._

A creak. Serge immediately squinted as the whiteness of the room temporarily blinded him. _It's so bright! What on earth is he doing? _A few seconds later, he could see an empty bed further in front of him. Oddly, the bed was still neat as if it had just been tidied up. _What the… Where is he?_

Scratching his head, he looked at his left side. There was a wooden door which was shut tight. _Heh, he must be in the bathroom then._

He looked at his right side, where he could see a chair and a desk. Atop the desk, a thick book lay open with a table lamp switched on. _Hmm… Reading at midnight? How unusual!_

Serge took off his slippers and tiptoed towards the desk. He looked down at the book, which contained nothing but blocks of texts. _Oh, a novel! _He bowed down a bit to read what the text was about. _The __mediastinum __lies between the right and left pleuræ in and near the median sagittal plane of the chest… Um, what kind of novel is this?_

All of a sudden, Serge heard a click and a creak. _He's back! I gotta run! _After wearing back his slippers, he ran towards the entrance. As he was about to get out, he felt a tight grip on his right hand. "Aw, man!" was what he could let out.

Turning around, Serge saw a green-eyed man in white pajamas. His long lavender hair was swaying like the waves atop the ocean.

Raising his thick lavender eyebrows, the man said firmly, "Serge, do not try to escape. Be responsible for what you've done!"

Serge stammered, "Um, Guile, p-please l-l-let me go! I d-d-didn't do anything, really!"

Guile chuckled. "Through your stammer, I know that you're lying."

Serge trembled.

"It appeared like I forgot to lock the door. Now, would you mind telling me what you've done while in my room?" Guile asked and released Serge's right hand.

Serge stuttered while pointing at the thick book. "Er, I e-e-entered the room a-and t-took a p-peek at that w-weird n-n-novel…"

"Novel?"

Serge nodded.

Guile smiled. "Tell me the truth now. Why are you here?"

Silence.

"Trust me, I won't hurt you."

A brief pause. Serge then said, "I only want to know how you can be so accurate with that spell."

"Spell?"

"Um, how can you kill your enemies instantly by piercing them with your wand?"

"Heh, since you can identify that novel as something odd for you, I'll let you know how. It's actually a medical textbook about anatomy."

"Anatomy?"

"I was a doctor at Truce three years ago," Guile had said.

Serge raised an eyebrow. "A doctor?"

"Yes, that's why I know which part of the enemies' body I must pierce to kill them immediately. For years I spent my life working as a general practitioner. But then…" Guile lowered his voice. "…there was an accident."

Serge scratched his head. "Are you kidding me?"

"I'm serious. A patient was crippled because of my carelessness. He had to get an injection but…I damaged his sciatic nerve upon doing the procedure."

_Hmm... I don't understand what's all with that nerve... But anyway, I'm not thinking of becoming a doctor._ "So?"

"It's doctor's responsibility to take care of the patient's health. Because of that, I was so stressful that I retired and decided to wear a mask to hide my face. Then, I spent my life as a jobless person by reading medical books…until an elf came and invited me to a place called Magic Guild. Partially because of my interest in human's brain and nervous system, I joined the guild and learned much about magic."

"Why are you still reading a medical book then?"

"Because…" Guile closed his eyes and smiled. "…I realize that one mistake isn't the end of everything. I believe that one day I can return to Truce and work as a doctor again. Also, doctors are devoted to lifelong learning. Medical studies are eternal."

Serge felt his eyes were growing wet. "I understand now."

Guile turned around. "Now, would you leave me alone?"

Serge stood still and answered, "Fine, good night then!"

With that, he turned around and walked out of the room. Before closing the door, he took a peek and saw that Guile was still reading the book.

Closing his eyes, he said to himself, _Guile, I'm sure that one day your wish of becoming a great doctor will come true!_

XXX

**Note: Sciatic nerve is the largest nerve that controls the legs. The part about the mediastinum is taken from the textbook Gray's Anatomy. For those who play Chrono Cross but not Chrono Trigger, Truce is actually a place at Zenan.**


End file.
